Latitude Zero (緯度0大作戦 Ido Zero Daisakusen?, lit. Latitude 0 Great Operation) is a 1969 tokusatsu kaiju film created by Toho Company Ltd.
Plot[]
After Dr. Ken Tashiro, Dr. Jules Masson, and Perry Lawton get trapped in a bathysphere due to seismic activity, they are rescued by the crew of the Alpha, a supersubmarine that was launched in the early 19th century. They are greeted by the ship's captain, Graig McKenzie whom they learn is over 200 years old. McKenzie takes the men to Latitude Zero, an underground paradise located at the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line.
In Latitude Zero, gold and diamonds are plentiful, the inhabitants are peaceful, nobody ages or dies, and everyone lives in peace and harmony. But, McKenzie's rival Dr. Malik (who is also over 200 years old) doesn't feel the same way as Latitude Zero's inhabitants. Malik wishes to destroy it using everything he can conjure.
Of all the visitors to Latitude Zero, only Perry Lawton, a journalist, wished to return home. He was picked up by a US Navy vessel and is left with Graig McKenzie and Malik who insist their names are Commander Glenn McKenzie and Lieutenant Hastings. Confused at why the people he had previously seen had different names and why the two mortal enemies were acting so friendly toward each other, Lawton discovers his film is ruined and when he opens the pouch where he placed his complimentary diamonds, he finds tobacco. Just as he is about to resign himself to the fact that his adventure never occurred, the ship is wired a message stating that a cache of diamonds has been deposited in his name in a safe deposit box in New York City.
Staff[]
Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.
- Director: Ishiro Honda
- Writer: Warren Lewis, Shinichi Sekizawa, and Ted Sherdeman
- Producer: Don Sharpe, and Tomoyuki Tanaka
- Music: Akira Ifukube
- Cinematography: Taiichi Kankura
- Editor: Ume Takeda
- Assistant director: Koji Hashimoto, Yasuaki Sakamoto, and Seiji Tani
- Special effects: Yukio Manoda, Fumio Nakadi, Teruyoshi Nakano, and Eiji Tsuburaya
Cast[]
Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.
- Joseph Cotten as Captain Graig McKenzie/Commander Glenn McKenzie
- Cesar Romero as Dr. Malik/Lieutenant Hastings
- Akira Takarada as Dr. Ken Tashiro
- Masumi Okada as Dr. Jules Masson
- Richard Jaeckal as Perry Lawton
- Patricia Medina as Lucretia
- Tetsu Nakamura as Dr. Okada
- Mari Nakayama as Tsuruko Okada
- Akihiko Hirata as Dr. Sugata
- Wataru Ômae as Advisor
- Hikaru Kuroki as Captain Kroiga
- Linda Haynes as Dr. Anne Barton
- Susumu Kurobe as Chin
- Burr Middleton as Additional Voices
- Haruo Nakajima as Bat Person, Giant Rat, Griffon
Appearances[]
Weapons, Vehicles, Races[]
Monsters[]
Gallery[]
- Main article: Latitude Zero/Gallery.
Soundtrack[]
- Main article: Latitude Zero (Soundtrack).
Alternate Titles[]
- Latitude Zero Military Tactics (Zero gunji senjutsu o ido)
- Latitude Zero: Big Military Operation (Ido zero: Ōkina gunji sakusen)
- Atragon II (Kaitei Gunkan II, lit. Undersea Battleship II)
- U 4000: Panic in the Deep Sea (U 4000: Panik in der Tiefsee, Germany)
- Where the World Ends (Donde el mundo termina, Spain)
Trivia[]
- Several assets from the movie would be used again in other productions:
- One of the Bat People suits would appear in the low budget show Go Godman!.
- The ominous music during scenes on Blood Rock would be used in the soundtrack of Godzilla vs. Gigan.
- The miniature of the submersible pod would appear in several promotional photos for Godzilla vs. Gigan, but does not appear in the movie itself.
